QUESTION How is malaria cured? ANSWER Malaria can be cured with a number of different medications, depending on then type of malaria and how far the disease has been progressed. For standard, non-complicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the World Health Organisation recommends use of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), such as Coartem. This is due to increasing levels of … [Read more...]
Anti-Malarial Tablets for Kenya
QUESTION Which are the best tablets to take against malaria in Kenya? Is there a malaria vaccination? ANSWER I'll answer your second question first—no, there does not yet exist a commercially available malaria vaccine. Currently, one promising vaccine candidate is undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials in children in sub-Saharan Africa; recently published preliminary findings suggest … [Read more...]
Malaria prophylaxis
QUESTION: What name brand medicine should you take if you are traveling to area where malaria is present? ANSWER: That depends on a few factors, such as where exactly you are going, whether you have had bad experiences with any malaria preventative drugs (prophylactics) in the past, and how much money you want to spend! Common brand names of malaria prophylactic drugs include Lariam … [Read more...]
G6PD and Malaria
QUESTION: Does one need to have a normal result in G6PD screening before he can take Malarial pills? ANSWER: In some cases, yes. When a patient has been diagnosed with Plasmodium ovale or Plasmodium vivax infection, in addition to medication such as chloroquine to target the blood stages of the parasite, an additional drug, called primaquine, may also be required. Primaquine kills the … [Read more...]
Causes of malaria, treatment with drugs and emerging resistance
QUESTION: What is malaria and what causes it besides bacteria? What is the name of the causal agent for malaria, which drug is used to cure it and how do the pathogens become resistant to the drugs? ANSWER: There are many questions in there! Malaria is actually caused by a single-celled animal, called a protozoan; it's not a bacterial disease. There are different species of these … [Read more...]
Lariam Legacy
In 1990, Lariam (mefloquine) became the drug of choice for malaria prevention. It was endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and prescribed for travelers, government workers, and the U.S. military who were going to regions where malaria was present. It was even given to airline crews who flew to malaria regions. Mefloquine has been responsible for psychotic breakdowns, suicides and … [Read more...]
Malaria Prevention
Malaria prevention consists of a combination of mosquito avoidance measures and chemoprophylaxis. Although very efficacious, none of the recommended interventions are 100% effective. Mosquito Avoidance Measures Because of the nocturnal feeding habits of Anopheles mosquitoes, malaria transmission occurs primarily between dusk and dawn. Contact with mosquitoes can be reduced by … [Read more...]
Malaria Treatment
Malaria can be a severe, potentially fatal disease (especially when caused by Plasmodium falciparum) and treatment should be initiated as soon as possible. Patients who have severe P. falciparum malaria or who cannot take oral medications should be given the treatment by continuous intravenous infusion. Most drugs used in treatment are active against the parasite forms in the blood (the form … [Read more...]